Fresno’s Whole Vine Festival to return in October

Last year, a Central Valley resident’s commitment to showcasing pride in the region’s agricultural heritage took flight in the form of the inaugural Whole Vine Festival.

Held Oct. 21-22, 2023, on the Fresno State campus, the two-day festival showcased local growers, producers and other ag-industry professionals, as well as artisans, vendors, food and entertainment.

This year, the festival’s founder, Vickie Goudreau, said the second Whole Vine Festival has the potential to rise to new heights, continuing to educate attendees about the Valley and its agricultural heritage, specifically its table, raisin and wine grape industries.

With a busy on-campus schedule during the weekend event this year, Gourdreau is hopeful to maximize attendance. Goudreau said that multiple opportunities have presented themselves to showcase the bounty of the Valley to a wider variety of attendees.

The weekend

This year’s event, taking place Saturday, Oct. 19, and Sunday Oct. 20, will be held at the same time as an open house event hosted by the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences, in addition to a high school marching band competition – the Sierra Cup Classic – taking place up the road at Bulldog Stadium.

Additionally, the Gibson Farm Market plans to host an outdoor farmers market that Saturday as well.

Goudreau hopes the concurrence of campus events along with the Whole Vine Fest will help bring people out to learn about the nation’s leading agricultural region.

Unlike the World Ag Expo, Goudreau said the Whole Vine Festival focuses on building community knowledge and involvement as opposed to spreading innovative business concepts.

“It’s not an ‘Ag Show,’ but it’s a way to show off just how forward thinking ag has become,” she said.

The community will be involved and welcomed with live on-stage music throughout the two-day event, including a few possible “march-by” appearances, with several local high school marching bands competing in the first-ever parade marching competition that is part of the 26th annual Sierra Cup Classic that Saturday.

Goudreau said the competition, which also coincided with the Whole Vine Fest last year, has the potential to attract parents, staff and students already in the area for the competition.

Educating and attracting attendees

Continuing with the theme of educating residents, Goudreau said that she hopes to partner with local schools and educational organizations to grow the region’s knowledge.

“We also want to feature schools from around the Valley that have ag-related programs to be showcased,” she said. “The hope is that we can highlight the innovation and forward-thinking [progress] in ag.”

She hopes to forge even wider partnerships, including with organizations such as Fresno Metro Ministries, which teaches gardening classes and other ag-related outdoor activities for children.

Goudreau also hopes to attract participants from throughout the Valley, noting a conversation she had recently with the Madera Chamber of Commerce, in which the word “regionalization” came up several times.

“Last week I spoke with the CEO of the Madera Chamber of Commerce,” Goudreau said, adding that Kathy Bray told her that regionalizing should be a top priority for the Central Valley.

With that in mind, Goudreau has reached out inviting growers, wineries and producers from Modesto to Bakersfield, extending the offer to all Central Valley growers to participate in the event.

With vine crops present up and down the Valley, Goudreau said that everything from table grapes and raisin grapes to wine grapes should be represented.

Lessons learned

Goudreau said that despite last year’s successful inaugural Whole Vine Fest, there is always room for improvement.

This year, Goudreau hopes to draw more attention to the event, developing and expanding advertising for the Whole Vine Festival through their new marketing partner, Clovis-based branding firm Revelation Agency, a smaller, highly-responsive, highly-recommended agency, she said.

“We didn’t advertise enough [last year],” she said. “We paid all our bills but we didn’t advertise enough.”

This year, through partnerships with the Table Grape Commission, Farm Credit Bureau, Raisin Administrative Committee and others, Goudreau hopes marketing for the event will be much more visible this year.

“We’re all the wiser,” she said. “It is complex to do this at Fresno State and their Facilities, Grounds and Janitorial Departments have been so helpful.”

Goudreau has secured a number of sponsors for this year’s event as well, including Farm Credit Bureau, Visit Fresno County, the Raisin Administrative Committee, Spencer Enterprises and others.

This year’s Whole Vine Fest will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19, and Sunday, Oct. 20, at Fresno State near the Science II Building across the street from J.P. O’Neill Park, near the corners of Barstow and Woodrow avenues. Admission and parking are free.